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Thu, 24 May 2018 19:35:42 +0000The Marathon Swimmers Forumen-CAPost Event Depressionhttp://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/1602/post-event-depression
Wed, 15 Mar 2017 20:27:41 +0000ssthomas1602@/forum/discussionsI just posted something similar to this on Facebook, in general terms, but some of the responses made me think that this might be a good discussion for this group, too.

I know that I'm not alone in this: Pretty frequently after a big swim or a big summer, I start to feel down, tired, don't want to swim, don't eat right, don't sleep, get irritable, and more. All of these things are signs of depression. I'm generally a happy/motivated/energetic person, so I don't always recognize what's going on at first and don't understand why, suddenly, the couch and TV are SO APPEALING, and pools, friends, and lakes aren't fun any more. After my English Channel swim, I was talking about how I was feeling with a friend and he said something like, "Oh, English Channel depression is a real thing. I've heard of lots of people dealing with it." So, since then, I've just always accepted that it was a likely occurrence and that I would just deal with it on my own terms. I've always come out of it with a new goal or challenge, but it's a bumpy ride. I no longer panic over it and worry about my life well-being, but it's still a hard thing to get past.

I'm curious if anyone is willing to share their experiences and some tips/suggestions for overcoming these icky feelings and moving forward. I know this is personal, but maybe sharing can help others experiencing this for the first time (or the 10th time) to get past it and know they aren't alone! I'm not meaning for this to be negative- but simply wanting to help anyone now or in the future who may find this as a struggle, too.

For those of you who live in "hotspots", what are some strategies you use to deal with your fears in the open water?]]>Tell us about your DNF & the lessons you learned from it.http://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/883/tell-us-about-your-dnf-the-lessons-you-learned-from-it
Mon, 23 Jun 2014 14:31:18 +0000JBirrrd883@/forum/discussions]]>24 Hour Swim in the Poolhttp://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/41/24-hour-swim-in-the-pool
Fri, 23 Mar 2012 03:25:54 +0000lexlomax41@/forum/discussions1. Has anyone done this before? If so, what was it like?2. What should I do to prepare mentally for the boredom and general mental fatigue? What can i do to distract myself from the mind numbing boredom? Will I have trouble staying awake?3. What sort of nutritional considerations should I consider? 4. I can comfortably swim 8 hours straight in the pool and looking to do the 24 your swim 11 months from now. Is my goal realistic?Thanks!]]>Positive Ideas and Thoughts for Long Swimshttp://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/49/positive-ideas-and-thoughts-for-long-swims
Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:22:52 +0000jenschumacher49@/forum/discussions@loneswimmer's request, this thread will be a collection of quotes, ideas, phrases, cue words, or any other form of positive self-talk you use or have heard others use to get in a good frame of mind for those long, challenging swims.

*Not to be confused with the aphorisms thread, I see this as a more in-depth discussion of how you use certain thoughts to get out of the 'low points' in swimming and extend the 'high points.'

I usually start a long training swim by thinking to myself "I have nothing to do today except swim". I love the luxury of it - a chance not to think about work, or my to-do list. I try to make it like a big present to myself, rather than worrying about spending all that time in the water. I give myself complete permission not to think about anything I'd like a break from thinking about.

]]>Explaining Your Addiction to Family Membershttp://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/849/explaining-your-addiction-to-family-members
Tue, 20 May 2014 14:43:40 +0000swimchica623849@/forum/discussionsFor me, I think it comes down to nerves on their part and their desire to see the end of the tunnel. They always think a swim will end with "Okay, that's enough!" when in reality it ends with "What's next?" I've been, perhaps distastefully, comparing swimming to an addiction...but sometimes I feel like I'm going to have an intervention thrown for me if I'm not careful...]]>Panic and Anxiety at the Start of a Racehttp://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/829/panic-and-anxiety-at-the-start-of-a-race
Mon, 28 Apr 2014 08:17:32 +0000caburke829@/forum/discussions“…I have yet to attend an open water swim and it showed today at St Anthony's (triathlon with a .9 mile swim in a rough Tampa Bay). I swim at North Shore Pool mainly and LA Fitness when I can't get to NS in time.

Well my problem is not the distance. I put in 3k-5k in the pool. It's a panic/ almost asthmatic attack around the 300-400m mark.

Today (before the triathlon) I even did a warm up run and a 200m swim before the race. But to no avail. I've done 5 (Olympic distance triathlons), 4 HIM (half Ironman) and 1IM (Ironman) so experience isn't the factor either, in my opinion.

Do you know of anyone that can coach me/ help me conquer this? I have a full Ironman 17 May. So today's performance was quite a surprise (36 min for 1500m)

Any directions/ referrals or advice would be greatly appreciated.”

Please provide any helpful feedback as he will be following this thread.]]>Boredomhttp://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/43/boredom
Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:48:31 +0000jenschumacher43@/forum/discussions@loneswimmer's #2 response to a question about boredom during a 24-hour pool swim:

Asking about boredom is a red flag for me. Most marathon swimmers have strategies for this and don't think about too much.

I believe I may be one of those few marathon swimmers who does encounter boredom, at least in training. The actual swims themselves are never boring to me, but a 4-8 hour training swim can be a mental strain. It's not exactly boredom I suppose, but more of a struggle to resign to spending such a long duration swimming, if that makes sense. I use a lot of strategies (mental 'games' like counting, working on stroke, music, etc.) and those often work, but I find myself encountering the problem frequently. I try not to allow my mind to drift to non-swimming things or zone out too much (called disassociation in the sport psychology literature, and known to decrease performance, although only has been studied in endurance events as long as a running marathon, so could be different for ultra endurance activities). However, sometimes I wonder if this disassociation is a strategy used by marathon swimmers to get through some of the mental struggles I'm describing and I'd be better off using that strategy as well.

Either way, I'd like this thread to be about people's experiences dealing with boredom and/or struggling with duration/time in marathon swims. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated!]]>Fear in Open Water Swimminghttp://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/22/fear-in-open-water-swimming
Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:09:55 +0000Sharko22@/forum/discussionsOne day Sharko left his cove to feed on some squid, and when he returned he found that his cove had been taken over by demons. There were mega sharks everywhere! His first thought upon seeing them was, “I have got to get rid of them!” He swims toward them, chasing after them, trying forcefully to get them out of his cove. But the mega sharks are completely unfazed. In fact, the more he swims after them, the more comfortable and settled-in they seem to be. Realizing that his efforts to run them out have failed miserably, Sharko opts for a new approach and decides to teach them about life. If chasing them out won’t work, then maybe hearing about life will change their minds and get them to go. So he settles into his cove and begins teaching about existence and nonexistence, compassion and kindness, the nature of impermanence. After a while he looks around and realizes all the demons are still there. They simply stare at him with their huge bulging eyes; not a single one is leaving.

At this point Sharko lets out a deep breath of surrender, knowing now that these demons will not be manipulated into leaving and that maybe he has something to learn from them. He looks deeply into the eyes of each demon and bows, saying, “It looks like we’re going to be here together. I open myself to whatever you have to teach me.” In that moment all the demons but one disappear. One huge and especially fierce mega shark, with flaring nostrils and dripping fangs, is still there. So Sharko lets go even further. Stepping over to the largest demon, he offers himself completely, holding nothing back. “Eat me if you wish.” He places his head in the mega shark’s mouth, and at that moment the largest demon bows low and dissolves into space. (some poetic license taken from Tibetan literature re: Milarepa)

I can hear it now...but Sharko what about the Mad Jellies in the Channel of the Great Whites at the Farrallons....we need to be smart...yes we do have intelligence but most of our fears are false evidence appearing as something that is real..]]>Dissertation research on English Channel swimmershttp://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/399/dissertation-research-on-english-channel-swimmers
Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:41:49 +0000[Deleted User]399@/forum/discussionsThe user and all related content has been deleted.]]>nerveshttp://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/192/nerves
Sat, 28 Jul 2012 03:37:36 +0000timsroot192@/forum/discussions